fast and curious

Here in California (home of Curious HQ), we went from an extended multi-year drought to one of the wettest winters on record. Reservoirs and streams are overflowing, triggering floods and forced evacuations. Of course, the best way to wait out a storm is a rain-themed teaser, so here we go.

Due to the prolonged drought, Kitch-Kitchy Reservoir (capacity: 1 billion gallons) was completely dry. Suddenly, a major storm hit, drenching the area with 0.5 inches of rain per hour. A 2,000-acre area feeds directly into Kitch-Kitchy. Assuming no other loss of water (no evaporation, no ground seepage, no run-off, etc.), how many hours can the poor Kitch-Kitchy Reservoir last before it overflows?

The Academy Awards are this weekend, so to get you in an award-winning mood, we have an Oscar-themed puzzle for you. You can work on it while waiting for that actor to finish thanking his hairdresser's cat.

There are five Oscar-winning directors below, their names scrambled to maintain the suspense. Can you identify them?

Happy Presidents' Day! This week's teaser uses the way we most commonly interact with dead presidents: money. If you have the day off, noodle on this.

Mary has 4 modern US coins, one each of the common denominations (penny, nickel, dime, and quarter) and 4 modern US bills ($1, $5, $10, and $20). She picks up one of the coins or bills at random, looks at it, declares "Wow! That's my favorite US president!", and puts it in her pocket. John, hearing all the hubbub, comes by, picks up one of the remaining coins or bills at random, looks at it, and declares "Wow! That's my favorite US president!". What is the probability that Mary and John have the same favorite US president?

Valentine's Day is coming! Whether you see it as a symbol of romance, bitterness, or corporate innovation, give this word puzzle a shot, by yourself or with a loved one.

Can you find two seven-letter words that are anagrams of each other and complete this sentence? Remember, an anagram is a word that is formed from scrambling the letters of another word; e.g., CAT and ACT are anagrams of each other.

As a young couple, they always to grand romantic gestures, but as young parents, they were always buried in .

We’re celebrating immigrants this week here at Curious, so today’s Teaser has a refugee theme, which is appropriate since I am one. I came over as a baby with my family from Vietnam in 1975 (we left in a helicopter, though a boat makes for a much better Teaser below). When we arrived here, we were sponsored by an incredible family in Illinois. They showed us love, generosity, and how to make layer salad. All three were amazing! — Thai

A family of four refugees (mother, father, a boy, and a girl) come to a river they need to cross. There is an adult fisherman there who is willing to let them borrow his very small boat. The boat is large enough to carry one adult with no passengers or two kids (the kids know how to use the boat). What's the fewest number of times the boat needs to cross the river (either direction) to get the family across and leave the boat with the fisherman?

Note: The fisherman can be left on either side of the river, as long as he has his boat. No, they can't swim the river because... um... deadly snakes.

Happy New Year! Today is the first day of the Year of the Rooster, celebrated by billions of people around the world. One tradition in Chinese and Vietnamese culture is giving money in small red envelopes, usually to children. Both the money and the red color of the envelope are said to bring good luck to the child for the new year.

This year, Anh is stuffing envelopes with cash in preparation for the new year celebration; each envelope can have any amount of whole dollars ($1, $2, $3, ...) in it. She is going to give some envelopes (one or more) to her niece Mai but she's not sure how much money she wants to give yet. She wants to be prepared to give her any whole dollar amount from $1 to $14 without putting more money in or taking money out of the envelopes she has already prepared.

What is the smallest number of envelopes she has to prepare to be able to give Mai any amount in that range?

If you've been paying attention to weather (and who hasn't), you know that California has been in a terrible drought for years. It doesn't seem that way at all recently, as we've had solid rain for days here at Curious headquarters. And that means we've had tons of snow in the mountains around Lake Tahoe.

Can you make a word ladder to change RAIN into SNOW?

Remember: a word ladder is a series of words, starting from one word and ending with another, where each subsequent word is a one-letter change from the previous word (without rearranging, adding, or removing letters). And, of course, each step is a valid English word. For instance, you can change CAT to DOG like this: CAT => COT => DOT => DOG.

Are you ready for some (American) football? The NFL playoffs are in full swing, which, of course, makes you want to do brain teasers. Right?

In regular American football, teams can score 2 points for a safety and 3 points for a field goal. In the right combinations, any point total > 1 is possible. But in this imaginary new-fangled who-cares-about-defense version of American football, teams can only score 3 points for a field goal or 7 points for a touchdown (extra points are automatic). No other scoring plays exist.

With the new Curio Cabinet, are you binging on Curios? Or are you bingeing on Curios? Definitely, if you get too close to the fireplace, you could be singeing your arm hair, because singing your arm hair would just be weird. Either way, we know that English spelling is very challenging (or is it challengeing?).

Damon was bing(e)ing on Curios yesterday, learning crazy new things. When he was done, he counted the number of Curios he listened to, read, and watched. The nerd he is, he realized that the number was the smallest natural (positive, whole) number that is equal to 7 times the sum of its digits.

We founded Curious for learners like you, and we've filled it with employees who love learning, too. Some of the most mind-blowing things we've learned are bizarre facts from the animal kingdom. The Ice Rib Toucan mentioned below isn't a real animal, but if it were, we're sure our minds would be blown.

Take all the letters of bolded phrase below and rearrange them to form a new phrase that completes the sentence:

Have you heard of the ICE RIB TOUCAN? It's an amazing animal, and I learned about it in the ________!

Strange shipping rules are the law of the land here in Frustratopia. Congress dictated that all packages must be placed in a rectangular box, then that box is placed in a spherical ball so it can be rolled to its destination. Ron wants to send his honey as much organic vicuña wool as possible this holiday and is trying to figure how much he can send. What is the most volume of wool Ron can send in a rectangular box inside a shipping sphere that's 2 meters across?

Need a hint? If you remember your Pythagorean Theorem, the square of the length of the diagonal of a rectangular box is the sum of the squares of the dimensions. In other words:

With Thanksgiving safely behind us, we turn our attention to twin "holidays" next up: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. When we have so many commercialized holidays (like Valentine's Day) already, there's something oddly comforting about having a straight-up, honest commercial holiday. But with so many sales, where do we BUY?

Below, several three-letter words are separated into three groups. All the words in a single group have a property in common, and no words in any of the other groups share that property. Where does the word BUY go and why?

Here in the US, Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It's a holiday still blissfully untouched by obligatory gifts or greeting cards, but is focused almost exclusively around family and food. The jury's out on which gets more love, but some of the best loved foods are pies (undoubtedly more than turkey)!

Can you show your love of pies by making a word ladder from LOVE to PIES?

Quick refresher: a word ladder is a series of words, starting from one word and ending with another, where each subsequent word is a one-letter change from the previous word (without rearranging the letters). And, of course, each step is a valid English word. For instance, you can change CAT to DOG like this:
CAT => COT => DOT => DOG.

Congratulations to the Chicago Cubs! In honor of their dramatic and historic victory, here's a baseball brain teaser to keep the baseball juices flowing (ummm, that's brain juices, not steroid juices):

This year, Ace Alonzo, Blazin' Boone, and Cruisin' Callahan played for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and Boston Red Sox in some combination. Can you figure out which teams they each played for?

Here are some things that happened this season:

Cruisin' Callahan once struck out Blazin' Boone on three pitches.

Ace Alonzo never wanted to be a Lovable Loser so never played for them.

Cruisin' Callahan played for a team from the capital city of its state.

Blazin' Boone never had any games at Progressive Field.

Cruisin' Callahan had a special clause in his contract that let him only play home games, which means he got to sleep in his tree house fort in his childhood oak tree every night of the whole season.

Ace Alonzo had spring training at Goodyear Ballpark.

Cruisin' Callahan was covering first base when he got an out by catching a throw from Ace Alonzo.

Blazin' Boone had one favorite baseball cap that he wore for every game.

So, what do you think? Which teams did Alonzo, Boone, and Callahan play for?

As Halloween approaches, houses are decorated, parties are planned, and many children's minds wander toward their costumes and the haul of candy they're going to collect. Parents' minds typically wander toward the haul of candy they're going to sneak after their children fall into their sugary slumber.

One past Halloween, sisters Cindy and Lisa went trick-or-treating. Cindy was a Viking and Lisa was a Viking cat, which we can only assume involved wearing cat whiskers and a horned helmet. Now Cindy did very well this Halloween, getting more than 100 pieces of candy but less than her all-time record of 200 pieces. Lisa, on the other hand, apparently confused a lot of the homeowners giving out candy, and ended up with just one 3 Musketeers Fun-size bar (not even a full-size one).

Cindy, trying to console her devastated sister, said: "It's not so bad, Lisa! If you take the number of pieces of candy I got, reverse the digits, then add it to the original number, you get the number of calories in your trick-or-treat bag. Well, you would if you had 7 more 3 Musketeers bars."

Welcome back to Thai's Teasers! Dedicated readers might have noticed that we took a few weeks off from our weekly brain ticklers. And to those who didn't notice, it's OK; I won't take it personally. What? What's that? No, I'm fine. I was just cutting onions.

But yes, we are back with a new brain teaser each Saturday to ruin brighten your weekend. And in the spirit of brightening your weekend, I promise that I won't do a politically themed teaser before the election. You get enough of that in your Facebook feed in the posts from that guy you met at that party that one time. So here we go...

Here in Menlo Park, California, despite it nearing Halloween, the weather is still beautiful. This past Thursday morning, we did what we do every Thursday morning when it's not raining (i.e., every Thursday): we played ultimate frisbee at the park. We play with a fairly standard disc that weighs 175 grams and is 27.3 cm across.

Now super-stud-player Alonzo has a wicked forehand that sends the disc spinning at 3.2 rotations per second with sniper-worthy accuracy. On this day, a poor ant hitched a ride on the disc just as Alonzo sent it flying. It was on the very edge of the disc and cruising along at 4cm/sec. How long does it take for the ant to crawl all the way around if the disc is spinning counter-clockwise and the ant is walking clockwise?

Citius, Altius, Fortius! The Rio Olympics have taken over my house. We love the competition, the drama, the surprises, and even the overwrought feature pieces from NBC. That athlete is having a hard time competing because they just lost their pet goldfish? Ummm... OK.

To celebrate the Olympics, unscramble these Olympic events. Do it for yourself. Do it for your country. Do it for your goldfish.

... and we don't mean meat-lovers (though we do have tons of great cooking lessons). Let's take a moment to learn about our fishy, feathered, and furry friends.

Dog Training 101by Treatpouch.com

Dogs need trainingits a part of life. Transform your pup into an obedient old soul with a few important dog training tips.

How to Take Care of a Leopard Geckoby Citrus Reptiles

Leopard Geckos are an easy and friendly choice for a first time reptile-owner. Learn all about these cool creatures and how to care for them!

This Bird Can Shake His Tail Feathersby Science Friday

In this Science Friday episode, scientists used the Backstreet Boys to study whether birds can dance to a beat.

Complete Guide to Cat Careby Know It All With Arloa

Many pet owners are not aware of their cats basic needsor the consequences of neglecting them. Whether youre adopting a new cat or simply looking for pointers, learn how to make your cat happy and healthy.

DIY Custom Dog Coatby StyleNovice

Does your pooch get ever cold? Learn how to sew him a custom made doggie coat from fleece fabric and velcro (if he doesnt mind wearing clothes!).

UV Sterilizers for Reef Aquariumsby The CoralFish Pro

Is your coral reef looking a bit off color? In this lesson, learn about the properties of magnesium and how to calibrate the elements levels for your tank.

3 DIY Dog Toys Made from T-Shirtsby Upcycled Stuff

Treat your four-legged best friend to some new doggie toys for cheap! In this lesson, youll learn three ways to make DIY dog toys out of old t-shirts!

The 2016 Rio Olympics are here! Get ready by honing your skills in some of the Olympics event (and learn a little bit about the history of these sports below...)

Tennis Stance & Swing Mechanicsby Jeff Salzenstein Tennis

Tennis has a long history at the Olympic Games. Tennis was played at the Olympics until 1924, then reinstituted in 1988. There is a men's and womens singles and doubles tournament, and since London 2012 there has been a mixed doubles event.

Beginner Defensive Boxing Techniquesby ExpertBoxing

Boxing has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since 1904, except for in 1912 in Stockholm as Swedish law banned the sport at the time. In 2009, the IOC voted to include women's boxing at the 2012 London Games, so now there are men and women competing in all Olympic sports.

How to Become a Better Horseback Riderby CRK Training

Equestrian first appeared at the Olympics in 1900. There are currently three disciplines in equestrian: Jumping, Dressage, Eventing.

Table Tennis Stroke Mechanicsby Table Tennis Coach

Table tennis has been part of the Summer Olympic Games since 1988. Participants compete in both men and women's singles and doubles events.

Play Volleyball Like a Proby Pro Tips4U

Volleyball was first played at the 1924 Summer Olympics as a demonstration sport. It has been officially played at the Olympic Games since 1964. From 1964 until 1992 it was just indoor volleyball. Beach Volleyball was introduced officially in 1996.

How to Hold a Gymnastic Rings Handstandby Jon Ham

Gymnastics is one of five sports that have been contested at every summer Olympic Games since 1896. There are three separate gymnastics disciplines at the Olympic Games: Artistic, Rhythmic, and Trampoline.

How to Tune a Compound Bowby Sean's Outdoor Adventures

Modern Olympic archery consists of four medal events: men's individual, women's individual, men's team, and women's team. In all four events, the distance from the archer to the target is 70 meters.

If you are an Italian-American food aficionado, then this course is for you! Follow along and learn to make satisfying Italian dishes.

Zucchini Lasagna Recipeby TE culinary

Check out this fantastic clean recipe for zucchini lasagna. Omit the ground turkey for a vegetarian main dish or side dish.

Homemade Italian Recipes by How To Cook Great Food

Italian food has a great amount of variation. In this course, learn how to cook traditional Italian dishes, like lasagna or risotto, as well as delicious variations like a pasta cream sauce with artichoke hearts and a baked ricotta and spinach stuffed cannelloni.

How to Start Lasagna Gardeningby GrowOrganic.com

The word "lasagna" also means layering and can also be applied to your yard. Learn to make an easy and nutrient-rich garden bed without any digging. Maybe those tomatoes you grow will end up in your next lasagna!